The two fender-benders that Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and Alabama’s Nick Saban have gotten into late in this recruiting cycle might be proof that the two coaches are cruising the same neighborhood again.

It’s like when Meyer was winning two national championships at Florida the last half of the past decade and Saban was building Alabama into a program that has won three of the past four national titles.

“Those are the top two recruiters in the country, so it’s kind of fun to watch them go head to head,” recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said.

Lemming was not surprised to see one of the more interesting competitions come down to a tug of war between Alabama and Ohio State for safety Vonn Bell, who might surprise both by picking boyhood favorite Tennessee. Bell, from Rossville, Ga., will announce his choice on ESPNU just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the first day that national letters of intent can be signed.

What spiced the situation was the word late last week that Alabama reportedly made a scholarship offer to running back Ezekiel Elliott of St. Louis. Elliott, an Ohio State commitment since April, suddenly went silent after taking an official visit last weekend to Missouri.

“I think there is definitely some gamesmanship going on there on the part of Alabama,” Rivals.com analyst Marc Givler said. “I don’t think realistically if you are just offering a kid now who has been considering other top programs, you’re not going to get him to flip at this point.”

Florida State made a late play for Elliott, too, but analysts believe he is still a solid lock to sign with Ohio State.

“Schools trying to come out of nowhere and offer. Crazy,” Elliott tweeted late in the week.

Givler said, “For Alabama and Florida State to make such late offers, though, it’s all reward with no risk. The kid either says he’s interested or he says no thanks. And in the case of Alabama, maybe the idea was to make Ohio State worry about Zeke (Elliott) a little more so they couldn’t focus on Bell as much in the final week.”

Ohio State also has been working on slotback Dontre Wilson of DeSoto, Texas. Wilson is committed to Oregon, but he has been reconsidering since coach Chip Kelly left for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Wilson made an official visit to Ohio State last weekend and was at Texas this weekend. A player visiting another school after making a commitment doesn’t necessarily mean he is going to change his mind. Linebacker Trey Johnson of Lawrenceville, Ga., made an official visit to Tennessee two weeks ago before re-affirming his commitment to Ohio State. Donovan Munger of Shaker Heights went to Florida State recently despite committing to Ohio State in December. And offensive lineman Marcelys Jones of Cleveland, who already has committed to Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class, tweeted that Florida State coaches are staying in touch with him.

“More so than ever, schools all across the country are going after prospects who are committed to other schools,” recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts said. “There’s kind of a no-holds-barred attitude: ‘We’re going to recruit to the end and go after anybody and everybody, no matter if they’re already committed.’ ”

Changes to NCAA recruiting rules that will allow more contact, especially in social media, and let all nine assistant coaches be on the road at once likely are going to lead to an even wilder atmosphere.

“It’s almost as if the NCAA has just thrown up its hands and said, ‘Do whatever you want,’ ” Lemming said. “That’s what’s going to happen. And it’s actually going to further benefit Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and the powerhouse schools, because along with all the calling and stuff, those schools can also afford to hire a great recruiting staff.

“There’s going to be an unlimited number of people working in the recruiting offices now, and that’s going to allow a lot of the powerhouse schools to separate from the rest of the country.”

One change could bring some semblance of decorum, Lemming said.

“I think it really screams for an early signing period for football, with the stipulation that if a head coach is fired or quits or moves to another school or the NFL, the recruits who have already signed can be free to look elsewhere again,” Lemming said. “That would take care of a lot of the problems they are having now.

“An early signing date seems to make too much sense, which is probably why the NCAA doesn’t go for it.”